Holocaust Lesson Hits Home For Teens

When they think about Anne Frank, a Jewish teenager who hid from the Nazis in the Netherlands, students at Eagles Landing Middle School remember the details.

Joshua Stewart, 15, imagines himself locked in a room all day, not allowed to move.

Rebecca O'Farrell, 14, thinks about Anne having to wear the yellow star that humiliated Jews.

Stephen Santana, 14, recalls the cat that lived in the families' cramped apartment.

Meghann Spagna believes she would be overcome with fear if she were caught in similar circumstances.

"It's hard to believe someone our age was in that situation,'' said Spagna, 13.

Anne Frank was the same age as these West Boca middle school students, and the diary that details her life during World War II is making an impression on them. They are reading it in eighth-grade teacher Elizabeth Thomas' language-arts class as they study the history of the war and its links to Nazi-style hate groups that survive today.

Middle-school students throughout Palm Beach County are studying Anne Frank's story this month as part of the Palm Beach County School District's Holocaust curriculum. Today, Eagles Landing students will travel to the Kaplan Jewish Community Center in West Palm Beach, where an exhibit from the Anne Frank Center in Amsterdam re-creates the housing annex where Anne and her family hid from the Nazis for two years. The exhibit also includes family photos and other relics from the era.

About 6,000 middle school students will visit the exhibit this month, said Eileen Shapiro, the Holocaust curriculum planner for the school district. The Jewish Community Center allows the schools to visit at no cost.

Shapiro said the exhibit has reinforced the power of Anne's written story.

"When they hear a Holocaust survivor talk, you can hear a pin drop,'' Shapiro said. "They are asking excellent questions.''

The state of Florida required Holocaust education for public school students beginning in 1999. It's up to principals and teachers how they implement the curriculum.

Thomas, the Eagles Landing teacher, said she has taught Anne Frank's diary for eight years, even before the curriculum was required. She spends about a month teaching the diary, a related play, some history and other Holocaust literature.

"There are some students who know nothing about the Holocaust,'' Thomas said. "Others become uncomfortable because their families were affected by it. It's hard because you don't want to upset your students.''

Thomas said one of the most powerful lessons is the literary inspiration students can get from Anne Frank.

"They learn a 13-year-old can write great literature,'' Thomas said.

But student Shana Gizzie, 13, said she was struck even more by Anne's inner spirit.

"She said she still believes people are good at heart, after all she went through,'' Gizzie said. "People couldn't take away her hope.''

Lois Solomon can be reached at lsolomon@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6536.